The delocalisation program that has been a point of contention for the last close to two years sending the teacher’s body and its employees in an un-ending battle is going to quieten for some time.
This is after the teacher’s body agreed to look into some of the matters before transferring the teachers which include age, health as well as the period of service among others.
Teachers with medical conditions and those above 56 years will not be transferred under the delocalisation policy by the Teachers Service Commission (TSC).
TSC chief executive Nancy Macharia on Tuesday told the National Assembly Education Committee that only newly recruited teachers will be delocalised.
“Teachers who have proven cases of health or medical conditions already reported to the commission have been exempted from the transfers,” Ms Macharia said.
Also, teachers with alternative abilities have been exempted from the transfers with personal requests being granted subject to availability of vacancies.
In December last year, the commission transferred 3,094 teachers but 360 appealed.
“The appeals were considered and appropriate determination made expeditiously based on the terms and conditions of service,” Ms Macharia said.
MPs told the commission that delocalisation should not be a form of punishment to teachers and that TSC should consider the plight of teachers before transferring them.
“Some transfers are demotivating teachers instead of encouraging them to work. Why for instance should a principal in a school with 1,000 pupils be taken to another school with only 100 students,” asked Kabondo Kasipul MP Eve Obara.
But Ms Macharia said delocalisation of teachers should not be politicised but seen as a normal function of the commission.
“A teacher who is recruited by the commission may be deployed to serve in any part of the country based on the teaching service requirement,” Ms Macharia told the committee.
Ms Macharia told the committee that is chaired by Tinderet MP Julius Meli that delocalisation is not a policy but a regulatory function of the commission for assigning new teachers and administrators to all parts of the country without discrimination.
She said new teachers are posted to counties neighbouring their homes to mitigate drastic change of environment.
“Delocalisation of newly recruited teachers and newly appointed administrators is but routine duty of the commission granted by the constitution and has been the case since the establishment of the commission,” Ms Macharia said.
She emphasized that the overall objective of delocalisation is to promote co-existence and cohesion among communities.
“Delocalisation of administrators outside their home counties is intended to enable them enforce the teaching standards and government policies without fear or favour. It is also meant to improve service delivery in public schools,” Ms Macharia said.
In a bid to promote family values, Ms Macharia told the committee that the commission ensures that married teacher are not separated.
